I fully intend to try the main courses out, but you know me, I zeroed in on the sugar pretty quick.

Let's start with breakfast....Mini Pecan Pie Muffins! I had to try them. FIVE ingredients and they DO taste like pecan pie!

My mom used to make little pecan tarts, we called them Pecan Chewies, for my Uncle Mike every time he came to visit. These reminded me A LOT of those, but without the crust. Uncle Mike, are you reading? You need these! ;)

Next up...Snickerdoodles.

I have a confession. It's a biggie. I've never made snickerdoodles. I don't even think I've ever eaten a homemade snickerdoodle.

These.Are.Incredible. Why didn't you guys tell me!?!?! Soft, buttery, cinnamon-y...perfect with a cup of tea or a glass of milk....or a beer. {I'm just sayin'.}

Here's another confession. I did share some with my sister, but these in the ribbon? I immediately untied and ate them.

Preheat the oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt; set aside. In another bowl, cream the butter, shortening and 1 & 1/2 c sugar. Blend in the eggs at low speed.

Add the flour mixture (I did this in 3 additions), and mix until combined.

In a small bowl, combine the remaining sugar and cinnamon.

Roll 1 TBSP of dough into a ball and roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place dough on cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.

Bake at 350 for 8-9 minutes. Do not overbake. the centers will be soft, but will set upon cooling. (A very thin cookie spatula helps in transferring because they are so soft.) Cool on a wire rack. Makes 4 & 1/2 dozen (I made mine a little big...I got about 30.)

~Freezing directions~Place the sugar coated cookie dough on a large sheet pan in a single layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze 2-3 hours. Place the dough in a labeled freezer bag. Write the baking directions on the bag. Freeze up to 2 months.

Would you like to win Jane's book? Here's how to enter....leave a comment telling your favorite food to make-ahead. Cookies? Lasagne? Potato Salad? What is it?

{Tweet it for an extra entry...and leave a separate comment.}

The winner will be chosen randomly Monday, January 18th at 8pm CST. Thanks for entering! You can take a closer look at Make-Ahead Meals for Busy Moms here on Amazon!

Probably enchiladas, although I love having homemade lasagna in the freezer to pull out on a cold, winter night! BUT, I LOVE MEXICAN FOOD!!! I could seriously eat it every day of the week. While I love my enchiladas, they're a little bit on the unhealthy side, so it's a nice treat when I pull them out of the freezer to eat!

Honestly, I haven't tried making a whole heck of a lot ahead. I do have some cookie dough on hand, but I'd definitely love to try having more on hand, especially now that I'm back in school and cookies is sometimes the last thing I want to do.

well, my favorite is sugar cookie dough of course :). I have a few logs in the freezer right now! i kinda could live off sugar and jump straight to the back of the cookbook....why is all the good stuff in the back. would love to win!...maybe i will actually make some of the dinner stuff in there.

My favorite meal to make ahead of time is chicken tetrazzini. It makes my life so much more simple when I can make my meals ahead of time instead of chasing three boys around the house and cook at the same time :) Thanks for a great giveaway :)

My favorite make ahead meal are chimichangas. I make the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, taco seasoning and chicken mixture ahead of time (along with the sauce) so I can just pull them out, stuff them in tortillas and fry them up. Yum!

My favorite make ahead meal is soup. I have a strange habbit of making soup a meal. Sometimes referred to as "Stewp" because I like it thick and chunky with lots of vegg, beans, etc and just enough broth to call is soup :)

My favoirt make ahead meal is tomato sauce, it's get to just pull it out and reheat it and you can have dinner in 30 minutes!I also ALWAY keep ingredients on hand to make cookies at the drop of a hat...you can NEVER have too many cookies

My favorite meal to make ahead.... well just about anything! Anything that makes my life easier on busy or sick days. Chicken and dressing if probably my favorite over of all, and during the holidays pies and cookies.

Hmmm...favorite make ahead meal? Would have to be pizza dough. I make a HUGE batch, separate and freeze for when we want it. Much cheaper than the store bought and since I use whole wheat / semolina flour, healthier too! Oh, and can't forget about the cookies! My family would lynch me, or at least revolt if they didn't have a steady supply!

When we have a family get together it is usually for brunch and I make the quiche a day ahead. I also keep pre-made but not prebaked spinach balls in the freezer for appetizers.msgb245 at gmail dot com

I'm tryting to think about what I make ahead.....I'm a busy mom, I should make things ahead of time but I just don't! I have made chili and frozen it in the past but then it gets into the freezer and it gets forgotten. Some prepared meals would make my life a lot easier though....I should get to it!! :)

I like to made pasta salads with a protein in it ahead of time. That is simple and quick, but I would enjoy some more ideas! Although I'm not a "busy mom," I'm a "busy grad student" and always come home hungry from my night class!

I've never made snickerdoodles either (although I've eaten plenty of them)! But I think it's about time that I try it. My favorite make ahead meal is soup. It always tastes better after a few days in the fridge.

I would love this cookbook. I always have meals or at least the starts of meals in the freezer b/c I never know what an individual day will bring. I guess my favorite make ahead and freeze items are whole wheat chocolate chip cookies, cashew chicken, and fajitas. I could use some new ideas.

What great recipes! Thanks so much for sharing. You are a woman after my own heart. I LOVE sweets too! My favorite make ahead to freeze is soup. I make all kinds of soups and put it in individual containers to have for my lunch at work and I also share with my daughter who is in college. She always takes frozen soup back to college with her when she comes home to visit. Soup is such a great comfort food!! Please enter me in the cookbook giveaway. I would love to add it to my collection! Love & blessings from NC!

Those snickerdoodles look so scrumptious!!! I feel like I could just eat them off the computer screen. I broke a nail trying! (kidding!)

My favorite make-ahead meal would definitely be homemade chicken potpie. The recipe I use gives lots of extras, so when I make chicken potpie for dinner one night, I split them into two casserole dishes and then freeze one. It's so easy, and flavorful!! You can even transfer the casserole from freezer directly to oven and bake for an hour and it's all ready.

this made me think a little-- I have to go with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I know some people are freaked out by the soggy bread and such, but to me it just means that each bite is going to be creamy goodness of peanut butter and jelly!

I LOVE Snickerdoodles. They probably one of the first cookies I ever learned how to make. YUM! I may have to make some VERY soon. And those muffins look devine. I love pecan pie. Both of these would be great for my after-baby-is-born freezer stash. One of my favorite make ahead meals is Tater Tot Casserole. SO easy, everyone loves it. It's great comfort food. Let me know if you'd like the very easy recipe. Thanks for the chance to win.

I am not sure how much this is considered make ahead but when we make a roast turkey we always go for the biggest bird we can get. The record so far is a 25lb bird. We have done this since the early days of our marriage as we like leftovers. We now are a family of 7 and still try to get the biggest bird we can. We take the leftovers and pull the meat apart to put into freezer bags and save the broth as well. One busy days I just have to pull the broth and shredded turkey out of the freezer, heat it up, thicken the broth to gravy like and serve over instant mashed potatoes and bread---Hot open face sandwiches and super easy and comforting!

That's almost the same snicker doodle recipe my family has used for years. We use an original Betty Crocker recipe that uses a 1/4 tsp less baking soda. To give it extra buttery goodness, I use butter-flavored shortening. By far the most requested cookie I make. Even auctioned off 2 dozen at a charity for over $40!

My favorite make ahead meal right now is a meatball soup my wife makes. Stores and reheats easily and is a great winter meal.

Yum, yum, yum! The muffins look wonderful. And as for the snickerdoodles - I totally hear you about the beer! It sounds weird, I know, but a good stout and a cookie is awesome (not quite in the same way as a cup of tea and a cookie, but ya know).

I like to make beef stew, chili, and pulled bbq pork ahead. Then on those nights that I am too tired we just pull it out. I make a big batch of each and I freeze them in smaller containers since there are just three of us for most meals.

I accidently found out that one of my favorite cookies (a raisin spice cookie--it has cinnamon, nutmeg and clove in it) can be frozen. I had catered a big celebration and had leftovers. We tried freezing them and what a great treat we had later.

I'm definitely going to try those muffins! As far as make aheads go, I have quite a few things that I make extra of and throw the leftovers in the freezer. Some favorites are: Chicken Tortilla Soup, pancakes, french toast and enchiladas. I love to be able to snag something out of the freezer on a busy weeknight! (and I would also love to win a new cookbook!)

I don't do as much making ahead cooking as I probably need to, but one of the ones I've done ahead is Pioneer Woman's Lasagna. It's the only lasagna I can make without dire results, and it makes up well.

I don't make food ahead. Well, I make food and freeze leftovers sometimes- curry usually because the flavors get more intense, especially if it is made with coconut milk. I have 2 three yr olds and am just sitting around waiting for the sibling to make his/her debut- do I qualify as busy? Or soon to be busy?

My go to make ahead main dish is usually Beef-a-roni. For desserts always cookies. I love having a roll of dough frozen and being able to make a few cookies any time I want without hauling ou the mixer.

I love to stock soup and homeade bread in the freezer... but my fave is probably cookie dough! Whenever I make cookies I try to stick a batch of dough already rolled into balls in the freezer. Sometimes you just need a couple of fresh-baked cookies!

I love zucchini bread and I also love making extra pancakes so the kids can just take a few out for busy morning breakfasts and heat them up!

Those pecan muffins and snickerdoodles look to die for! I've never made snickerdoodles, either...I'm much more of a sugar cookie, peanut butter or chocolate chip girl myself. I may have to try them since you say they're soooo good! ;)

Our favorite make-ahead meal is roast with potatoes and carrots and celery and onions...yum!(not make-ahead, as in freeze, but make-ahead as in put in oven or crockpot in the morning and it will be ready for evening when things seem rushed.)

Great give-away! My chances are 1 in 167 (to date!) LOLMy favorite make-ahead meal is lentil soup.It can even be frozen (as in: make WAY ahead).It is great by itself or added to many things . . . . like pasta and gravy or sloppy joes or shredded beef bar-b-que or chili.We had it today!

Doesn't really count as a "meal", but I look to cook up chicken and turkey ahead of time. Like roasting two chickens instead of one and freezing the meat of the second one. My mother and daughter just finished up de-boning a whole roaster full of leg quarters. My daughter is now rolling up flautas with that meat for freezing.

I love to make a big pot of soup and freeze them in 2 or 3 serving portions for lunches and dinners when everyone's going in a different direction and we need healthy and fast. And enchiladas too!Michelle michwjoe@hotmail.com

Why, yes, I do want to win this cookbook! My favorite make-ahead meal is soup, because no matter the recipe you always have enough for more than one meal's worth and it doesn't take up much space in the freezer or very long to reheat.

I am a busy working mom to 2 kids, and I like to have several frozen meals at any given time to toss in the oven for a quick dinner. I love to make chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole ahead and freeze it. When I am ready to eat, I just throw on the cheese/stuffing mixture and bake! Other favorites are mac and cheese and also lasagna, which seems to be a theme on here! I am open to anything that will help cut corners when it comes to dinner time. Sounds like this would be a great help!

I like to freeze chocolate chip cookie dough balls and bake them for warm cookie love, Praline French toast and Monkey Bread in the fridge overnight for a yummy breakfast! Oh, not for the same breakfast - that just might be overkill!

184 Comments Bridget!Girlie...do you know HOW LONG it took me to scrollllllllll all the way down here!!!;)You know you're worth it!Now...this is so weird...my sweet mother used to make Pecan Tarts to...little mini pecan pies! Such a delicacy!!!!And the Snickerdooooooodles!Let me say...I was the SNICKERDOOOOODLE QUEEN in college!Made them for allllll of my guy friends!I had guys dating me just for the Snickerdoodles! I am serious! I kept that dorm room kitchen bopping at night!!!XXOOXXOf course you would tie that oh so cute bow around yours!XXOOXXOh...my favorite make ahead...Well...that simply just does not happen with this chick!I never make anything ahead!I fly by the seat of my pink pants!

i would so love to win her book! i'm due with our second child in a few weeks and am all about make ahead meals these days.

my favorite make-ahead meal is lasagna though enchiladas are a close runner up. i've recently started making homemade pizza sauce and pizza dough and freezing (shout out to simplemom.net for that one!).

nice job on the cookies! And the muffins look fabulous even if you went a little crazy with the batter. My favorite food to make ahead is minestrone soup. I make a huge pot then freeze it in gallon ziploc bags.:

Homemade soup makes such a great meal for now AND for later. It just gets better and better. I always make a huge batch, then we have quick lunches or a quick supper later in the week. Easy to freeze half and have it much later, too.Thanks for hosting a great giveaway! ~~Rhonda

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